Cotton picker needle



Feb. 23, 1954 J, E, HUTcHlNs, JR., ETAL 2,669,828

COTTON PICKER NEEDLE Filed June 22, 1951 IN V E NTORS James E. Hu-rcmus ,3a.

FA Geenen'. T. CoMLAux Patented Feb. 23, 1954 COTTONPICKER NEEDLE.

JamesEaHutchins, Jr., and GeorgeT. ,Comeauml Greenville, Miss.

This nnvention appertai-ns to t improvements, in; the aconstructionI of. pickeimneedles; s remplnyedx in.

cotton picking machines.

Thezprimary cbjelctfo-ixthis:invention is toI provide an improved ,needle assembly,A wherein the needles are 4detachablysecured ina dependable manner to` the, supporting, spindles; .which are rotated by ya' xdrivefshaft .within fa spindle; carrier memberor drum.v l The rneedlesf rotate withv the spindlesfwhiclfi-rara driven .by the i drive shaft, and are/barbed to. grasp thefcottoniibres otfmatured boils prior toxwindingi thencotton fthereonta, ,and extracting itfromthe bolls.-. The `barbs on- `the needles:mustwibeasharp, `,soV that .the barbs failli effectivelyfgrasp andengage thefbresinJgatliering ythe `crop.. When :thezbarbs fbecorne.r .dull and worn iii-ruse, the needlesrmustbe replaced and, therefore, it lathe-primary. objectof this inven-` tiontov provide means-.tor easily conveniently replacing theneedles-,i withouton'ecesitating i a replacement of :the` spindles; f Alsof, itiisthe para` pose of this invention to provide a replaceablel needle assemblmvwhich `willfnot only enable needles to 4bev/repaired and :replaced in a minimum of time but will also appreciably reduce the expensefinvolved. 1

These and i auxiliary objects` and 1structural features or" inerit are attained by this invention,

the preferred embodiment of which is seti forth'- iir thetfollowingV descriptionand illustrated' irr -the accompanying draw-ing, wherein:

Figure `1 lisl a4 central vertical", sectional -view taken through a spindle carrier drum or inem ber, which houses the driving means for the picking needles, and showing the needle units in side elevation;

Figure 2 is an enlarged partial longitudinal sectional view taken through one of the needle units and taken upon line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged transverse sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Figure 2.

With continued reference to the accompanying drawing, and particularly to Figure 1, a section of a spindle carrier or drum I is illustrated, the same being depicted with two needle units l2 and I4, which are identically constructed and similarly attached to the carrier or drum. The carrier member or drum l0 is of a length to support a plurality of needle units, which are disposed in parallelism, the carrier member being maintained, during operation of the picking unit. in an upright or vertical position and being revolved about a closed horizontal path, whereby the needle units are projected into the cotton plant row for grasping the cotton libres of ma- 2 tured bells and winding the i cotton fibresthereon. Thewnee'dle funits are 1carried past a `rn'echanism' for. brushing #the picked cotton vfrom Ythe needleJ units and Athensubjected to a moietenng--appas' ratus lfor.nicistening Athe needles; prior 'to""the' projection f ci? 'the'f needlesinto "another cotton` plant rowdn initiating a succeeding-cycle. i

Tlieffcarrier or drum 1 le houses `a 'drive shaft` iilywhieh is axially disposed tl'i'erein` and wil-loir isA :supported `by bearing funitsw |85" The* bearing unlitsf are i-lxedly? circumposeti-fabout` the hubs" 2 il* oi the gears 2.? and thehubs oi the-gearsare Kedby transverse pins f to' the Ashaft liid The drum or car-rierniernber isfermedwitli longitudinally\\` spaced `threeded 1openings'` ity which are intersected by avertical groove :EB-litho* groove deiin'ing a passage-ferfalubricantI or" lubricating the bearings f of the supporting tspin#i dles of! the i needles, as will be 1 latei1 described? Each oi -thefneedlesfunitsf in'ciud'eaa hollow spindle holder member 3d, whichisiormed ivitlr an ezrteriorly threaded inner end a faceted intermediate y'section 3li, i which is provided 'for engagement la 1 wrench to facilitate screwing thef /end- 3 2" into-'the threaded lopenings 2 6i' iny Ethe Carr-ien "meinberoroL drinn i IGA? bearing sleeves Se and 33 are disposed within"theA holder rneinbr-ir" fadjaeent the ends thereof, the sleeves being spaced apart at their adjoining-` endsrto .define'an'Hannelariiclfialnberf tesi The chambermisr provided te.- receiveaia lubricatingA medium;-`

The inner sleeve 38 is formed at its inner end with a radial ange t2, which abuts the inner end of the holder member and is formed with radial passages i4 for conducting oil from the groove 28. An axial groove 4t is formed :in the inner surface of the bearing sleeve 38 and conducts oil from the passages 44 into the chamber fill, which denes an oil reservoir.

A spindle 43 is rotatably inserted within the bearing sleeves and a gear 50 is formed integrally with the inner end of the spindle, the gear having its outermost face enmeshed with the adjoining gear 22 on the drive shaft I5.

The spindle 48 provides a support and a connecting means for a needle 52, which is detach-- ably xed to the outer end of the spindle in end to end engagement and axially aligned therewith. The needle 52 includes a body portion 513 which is formed with a major end 55 and a minor end 58, barbs being formed in axially spaced. fashion on the outer surface of the body portion and being arranged in axial rows, which are circumferentially spaced,

A dust and moisture guard 62, which is generally conically shaped, is provided and is formed with a hub S4, circumposed on the outer end of the spindle, the major end of the guard haring .an annular inwardly directed flange et, which engages behind'an annular flange tt formed on the outer end of the holder 5l). The dust and moisture guard member is provided to prevent dust and moisture from penetrating the beari and the oil reservoir, the hub of the guard member closely embracing the spindle and enabling the guard member to be effective in excluding dust and moisture.

The major end 5S of the needle is formed with an axial socket lil, for securely seating the head l2 of a connecting and attaching 1colt 75.. he threaded shank of the bolt is threaded in an axially disposed internally 'threaded socket 'it formed in the outer end of the spindle, as seen in Figure 2.

In view of the clockwise and counterclockwise rotation of the drums or carrier members lf2A on the pickers, the needles are designed With right and left hand threads, complemental to the threads in the sockets 7c. The major end of each needle is marked at an appropriate point on its side, with the initial letter of Right or Left, as at 18. The protruding portion of the spindle is likewise marked, as at 8i?, so that the spindles and needles are marked to enable the average op- :i

erator of a picker to make an easy replacement of the Worn needle in the eld.

The needle can be removed from the spindle, by inserting a wrench on the inner end thereof and unscrewing the bolt from the socket 76 in the spindle, a replacement needle then being inserted on the end of the spindle, after ascertainlng the threads of the socket 76, by the marking 80 on the spindle, and determining the proper threads on the connecting bolt, by the marking 18 on the needle.

It can thus be seen that the needles can be replaced on the farm, with the Worn needles being easily replaced., without necessitating removal of the spindle 4S or bearing sleeves and without any .r

possibility of dust or moisture accumulating in the holders 30.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. In a cotton picker needle assembly, a spin- L dle having a gear on one end for meshing engagement with a gear on a drive shaft, said spindle having a threaded axial socket in its opposing end, a needle, and an axially extending member on one end of said needle having threads thereon engaged in said socket, said one end of the needle and said opposing end of the spindle being in abutting engagement.

2. In a cotton picker needle assembly adapted for use with a hollow spindle holder having open inner and outer ends, a spindle adapted to be rotatably disposed in the holder and having one end projecting beyond said inner end and having its other end projecting beyond said outer end, a gear on said one end of the spindle engageable with a drive means, a dust cap rotatably circumposed on the other end of the spindle, an annular shoulder formed on the outer end of the holder, a flange on the cap rotatably engaged behind the shoulder, a needle, one end of said needle having a threaded axially extending member and said spindle having an axially disposed threaded socket in said other end thereof threadedly engaged with the threaded member on the needle.

3. In a cotton picker needle assembly for use with a hollow spindle holder having open inner and outer ends, a spindle adapted to be rotatably disposed in the holder and having one end projecting beyond said inner end and having the other end thereof projecting beyond said outer end, a gear on said one end of the spindle engageable with a drive means, a dust cap rotatably circumposed on said other end o the spindle, an annular shoulder formed on the outer end of the holder, a flange on the cap rotatably engaged behind the shoulder, and a needle, one end of said needle having a threaded member integral therewith and extending axially therefrom, and said spindle having an axially disposed threaded socket in said other end threadedly receiving said threaded member, said other end of the spindle and said one end of the needle being in abutting engagement.

JAMES E. HUTCHINS, JR. GEORGE T. COMEAUX.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,497,776 Kallgren Feb. 14, 1950 2,497,777 Baker et al Feb. 14, 1950 2,546,185 Hagen Mar. 27, 1951 

